Follow Your Arrow
by brianne1357
Summary: Savannah is on her own at eighteen. She has moved into a trailer park where she meets Merle and Daryl Dixon. She falls for young Daryl and the two of them start a life together. They are together when news hits there is a mystery illness spreading through America. I DONT OWN ANYTHING BUT OC. Takes place before and after the walkers. Mature content.
1. The Trailer Song

**(Hi guys, I was very unhappy with the quality of this story and how it's going so far. I do have an idea for this I really love so I want to keep going with it. I am going to quickly just update the few chapters here with edits and some additions before I continue with the story. Thank you all for reading so far I hope you enjoy the story and please let me know if you have any ideas, any helpful criticisms, or just a regular comment. Thanks again)**

_I OWN NOTHING BUT ORIGINAL CHARACTERS_

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**CHAPTER ONE**

**THE TRAILER SONG**

"Savannah this is going to be great you should be so excited. It's not ever day you move out on your own" my mom said plastering on her best fake smile as she drove away from the house I had called home for the last two years.

"I know mom I am excited. I just didn't plan on moving on so soon," I said referring to the fact that two days ago I was seventeen and now I was eighteen and moving out. It wasn't that I was upset about this. I was actually thrilled to be out on my own, I just didn't plan on this going down the way it was.

"Look baby, were already here that's how close you are to my house," she said poking me in the side as she turned down a dirt road and into an open parking lot. It took her a moment to find the number she had scratched out on the back of an envelope, the number being my new address. She had arranged all of this without informing me. It wasn't even until this morning that she informed me she had never even laid eyes on the place before.

Part of me was happy when she finally did stop the truck but the other half of me knew once she did there was no going back and this was really happening, if I liked it or not. I groaned loudly as I stepped out of the pickup truck and looked around my new home, the town's local trailer park. I had only been here once before when my best friend in high school's boyfriend was having a party there. As I slipped the key my mom had handed me into the worn out lock on my new friend door I shook my head noticing my neighbours piece of shit car not far from my trailer missing two tires and some how seemed to have to a pile of beat up fishing poles sticking out the window from the back seat.

If I were being honest with myself I would have realized this trailer park wasn't much worse then the numerous houses I had lived in as a child but at that moment I hated being there. Growing up I had dreamed of finally making my escape from my mom and whatever boyfriend she had at the times clutches but this was not at all how I had pictured my first home. After my mom and my stepfather sat me down and told me I would be leaving their home now that I was legally an adult I had tried hard to convince her to change her mind. Whenever I even came close to having her change her mind my stepfather would quickly spin that around. Now thanks to him I was here and tonight she would be going back there without me, something I knew he was looking forward to.

Steve my stepfather had always told me one day I would be gone but I never believed my mom would cave on that. When it was just she and I she would call me the Louise to her Thelma. We were a team, us against the world she always reminded me. The minute Steve came into our lives that all changed. He was an alcoholic dead beat who was constantly unemployed and tended to take his aggression out on my mother. He went after me a few times and for years I fought back but eventually I would learn if I kept my mouth shut he would get bored and move on. I tried to get her to leave but anytime I did he would get sober and she would give me some long drawn out speech about him changing. Constantly breaking up their endless fights became a part time job. I would work all day and spend my nights talking to the cops or bringing her to the emergency room. When I did pack my things I begged her to come with me. I had promised we could pack up the truck one night and take off before he had any idea but she refused time after time.

"Savannah, sweetie you have to hurry I need to be back to the house to take Steve to the bank" my mother called out as she started unloading the few boxes I had and placed them in front of the door to my new home.

"Mom, let me do this" I rushed to finish the job she had started. My mom was a small woman she had always been short and thin. Since she had been with Steve she had lost weight that she could not afford to, which resulted her looking constantly stick figure skinny. She grew large dark circles under her eyes and her once chestnut brow hair was now highlighted with grey at the age of forty-five. I had always wanted to look like the version of her before she met Steve. Thankfully I did get more traits from her then I did then I did from the father I had never met. I had the same chestnut hair that I always put into a side braid like she had done when I was a young girl. We had the same matching bright green eyes but thankfully the one trait I did get from my father made me an average height instead of a shorty like her.

After a few moments of unloading my things my mom was quick to kiss me on the cheek before she promised to call me and took out of the parking lot leaving me there in front of my new home by myself. I sighed watching the taillights of her truck for a second before I turned to face my new home. I hated that this would be my first home. Since I had turned fourteen I had been working most of the time to have a good excuse to stay out of the house. Most of the money I had tried to save would end up going to my mom to help with the bills so when they forced me to move I only had enough in the savings to put first and last down on a one bedroom trailer which wasn't to far from my work. Thankfully it was a decent trailer that I was sure I could make my own. I pushed open the door and began lifting the boxes inside. I was silently thanking myself for wearing my cut off jean shorts and a tank top as the sun beat down on me when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Well hello their darling you must be new to these parts"

I turned around to see a man standing there with a beat up fishing pole and a chain filled with fish in the other hand. He had a slight hint of a southern accent and a very short buzz cut. I quickly looked him over spotting the leather vest and the slight hint of old scars on his knuckles. His words sounded nice but his appearance made me nervous. I was used to guys like him I had grown up with them but I also knew what a guy like this was capable of.

"Yeah I'm just moving in," I said wiping my hands on my shorts to clean off as much dust as I could before I shook his hand.

"Your a young one. How old are you?" he asked.

"Just turned eighteenth," I mentioned hoping he would take the hint I was far to young for him.

"Wow you are a youngin. My brother Daryl is about your age. What's a pretty little thing like you doing living here by yourself?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Parents kicked me out" I said slightly worried now that I had a good suspicion this man standing in front of me was my new next door neighbour.

"Awe I'm sorry to hear that. Well darling I have to get these in my freezer. Feel free to let me know if you need help with anything. A girl shouldn't be on their own, if you need someone for man's work I am next door."

His words instantly confirmed my fears and now it was obvious this redneck was a man who was convinced woman needed men. I had a feeling he was someone I was going to want to avoid at all costs.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. My name is Savannah," I said trying to play along not wanting to start anything with this guy I wasn't sure of just yet.

"Nice to meet you Savannah I am Merle Dixon" he said with a scary grin before he turned to take off towards his trailer.

Before the man had a chance to leave and I had a moment to breath someone called out "Hey Merle wait up"

I turned to see a younger looking man come running up to the man. He had a small resemblance to the man standing in front of me but he looked different. He had short brown hair and the slight hint of a scruffy beard. He was carrying a bow and arrow on his back and was holding what looked like a few dead squirrels in his left hand. He stopped when he reached Merle. He was smiling until Merle turned and gestured toward me. I couldn't help but rest my hands on my hips slightly confused by the two men.

"Daryl, we have a new neighbour," he said pointing at me.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched the young man quickly hide the squirrels behind his back as a nervous look rushed over his face.

"I am sorry I didn't see you there. I am Daryl Dixon," he said holding out his hand to me.

"Don't worry about it. I am Savannah," I said shaking his hand slowly.

"I was just letting little Savannah here know that if she needs anything she can knock on our door. Daryl here is real help. If you need me and I'm not around Daryl here can help with whatever you need. Isn't that right Daryl?" Merle said looking over at his brother.

"Yeah of course. Just let us know if you need anything," he said softly. It was obvious from speaking to them they were similar but also very different. Merle seemed to bring out an uneasy feeling in me well Daryl seemed softer, nicer and definitely better looking.

"Well thank you boys that is very sweet and I'm sure I will be taking you both up on that offer in the near future" I smiled as they both waived and headed off towards their trailer next to mine. I had only been here less then an hour but I was positive I would be seeing much more of both Merle and Daryl Dixon.


	2. Take it Out on Me

**(Updated this chapter. Like always, let me know if you have anything to say about this chapter. Thanks for reading)**

_I OWN NOTHING BUT ORIGINAL CHARACTER_

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**CHAPTER TWO**

**TAKE IT OUT ON ME**

As we pulled on to the road the trailer park was on I fished in my purse for a few dollar bills before I handed them over to the taxi driver. Now that I had been living on my own for the last few weeks I had lost all access to my moms pick up truck which meant most days I had to call a taxi or walk. Most days if it was nice enough I would just slip my head phones in and walk the hour to work and back but today I just didn't have the energy. I had been pulling doubles at work and any other free time I had went to trying to clean up the trailer as much as possible. When the car came to a full stop at the entrance to the park I grabbed the few bags of groceries I had managed to get before I hopped out and began the walk to my trailer.

It had only been a few weeks but the trailer park was starting to grow on me. It began to feel like home, almost comforting in a weird way. It didn't hurt that now that I was away from my mother and stepfather I had some actual peace in my life. No one was screaming or fighting. It was a nice feeling to get back to my little home that was all my own.

Just when my trailer came into view I heard a voice from behind me "Hey Savannah, let me help you" I heard Daryl voice call from beside me as he grabbed the bags from my hands before I had the chance to assure him I could handle it.

"Thanks" I was relieved to see the younger Dixon brother now walking beside me. I hadn't seen much of the Dixon boys recently so I hadn't had the chance to get to know them well just yet but I still knew there was a good chance Daryl had a better head on his shoulders then his older brother.

"No problem, just getting off work?"

"Yeah. I just pulled a double"

"Where is it you work?"

"I'm a waitress at that old truck shop diner."

"That's not bad. Merle loves that place. How are you likening your place?" he asked trying to make the typical small talk new neighbours make.

"I don't mind it. I'm fixing up the place so it's getting there but I'm going to have to see if I can get someone over to look at a few things. I can't get the hot water to stay on longer then a few minutes and I have a closet door that for some reason won't open. One of the cupboard doors is almost completely off the hinges so there are a few things I have to some how look into. I'm new to this whole living on your own thing," I admitted hoping I didn't sound like someone who was completely useless.

"I can come over and look at it"

"Oh you don't have to do that Daryl I'm just complaining," I said pulling my keys from my pocket as we reached my trailer.

"It's no problem I would be happy to do it. I've got nothing else to do tonight" he said as I slid the key in the door and pushed it open before we both stepped inside.

"Well you at lest have to let me make you dinner I can't put you to work for nothing" I said unlocking the door before we both stepped inside. There was a big part of me telling myself I shouldn't let almost strangers into my home alone but there was another part of me who really wanted the help.

"Seems fair," he said dropping the groceries on my small kitchen counter before taking a quick look around.

"Do you have any tools?" He smiled clearly knowing the answer already.

"Would you be surprised if I said no"

"Honestly not really" he said running his hand along the back. "Give me five minutes, I'll be back" he called over his shoulder before he was quick to leave the door we had just walked through together and disappeared off towards his own trailer before the door even had a chance to close behind him.

When I confirmed through the window that he was safely gone and preoccupied by his brother who seemed to have him trapped outside I got to work trying to tidy up. When the place seemed decent enough I rushed to my tiny bedroom and changed out of my work uniform and pulled on some jean shorts and a tank top. I didn't know how I felt about Daryl Dixon just yet but I was positive I didn't want to look like a dumpy waitress when he was near. I had just enough time to pull my hair from the high ponytail and run my fingers through it trying my best to turn the mess into something presentable when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in" I called over my shoulder as I started putting my groceries away in the tiny cupboards.

"Sorry I took longer then I thought Merle needed help changing a tire"

"No problem. That's really sweet that you help your brother out. It's nice that you guys are so close"

"Yeah he's not so bad. It's just me and him so it's good we get along" he shrugged clearly not wanting to get too personal.

"Here I would love if you could look at my closet door first. I am living out of a suit case right now" I said trying to change the subject back to something a little less personal.

"Yeah no problem. Do you care if I just get to it" he grabbed his things and headed towards my back room.

"Of course make yourself comfortable. I'll get started on dinner" I called out as I watched him disappear into my tiny bedroom.

I had only been chopping vegetables for a few minutes when I heard another knock at the door. I wiped my hands on a nearby dishcloth before leaning over to push the door open.

"Hey Merle, come on in" I said slightly disappointed to see the older Dixon. I had just met the two brothers but it was more then obvious they were very different. Merle tended to give off a slightly creepy vibe where Daryl made me feel comfortable almost like things were safer when he was around. Merle gave me the impression that if I ever got on his bad side things could become very difficult for me. He was someone I wanted to spend as little time as possible with.

"Well hello there darling. I was just looking for Daryl is he around?" he asked clearly knowing the answer as he looked over my shoulder.

"Yeah he is in the back. I'm just making dinner your more then welcome to stay," I said trying to be polite but hoped he would decline the offer.

"That is sweet of you but I think I might take advantage of Daryl being out of the place tonight" he said with a creepy wink before heading back into my bedroom in search of his brother.

Before I could even get the chance to get back to cooking I heard the familiar sound of my phone. I quickly searched through my purse until I found the old beat up second hand phone my mom had given me a year ago and pulled it to my ear.

"Hello"

"Savannah, help me" I heard my mom squeal through the phone followed by the sound of breaking glass.

"Mom, where are you?" I called out now hearing unrecognizable noises. I was praying for a response but all I could hear was the muffled noises of what sounded like a heated fight.

"Shit" I muttered holding the phone close to my ear as I panicked. I had known this would happen when I moved out. Steve never changed his ways and now that they lived in that home alone there was no one to step between the two of them.

"Mom" I screamed in the phone praying for a response.

"Savannah, is everything okay?" I heard Daryl ask as I turned to see the two Dixon brothers standing there.

"It's my mom, her boyfriend is beating the shit out of her and she dialled my number but she must have dropped the phone and now I cant get a response out of her" I said almost breathless now as I realized this could be worse then ever. I had always been there before to stop the fight now my mom was by herself. There was no one with her to stop Steve so he wouldn't stop. It suddenly hit me hard that this may be the last time I talk to my mother. I knew she wouldn't call the cops, I knew she would keep fighting with him so he wouldn't stop, I knew unless I did something she would end up dead.

"Let's go" Merle called out as him and Daryl headed to the door.

"You guys don't have to do this I can call the police" I said cringing as I heard the faint sounds of my mothers cry's.

"Come on darling, I haven't had a good fight in awhile. I'm sure the cops have been called before and that guy is still allowed to go back and beat on your mom so lets go" Merle called over his shoulder as he disappeared from the trailer.

"It will be okay Savannah, Merle knows what he's doing. He was in the military for a few years and held his own in juvie. He will know how to handle this clown," Daryl said before stepping out of the trailer leaving me standing there alone clutching the phone to my ear as my mom was beat over and over.

I didn't know what else to do so I quickly slipped on a pair of sandals and followed the lead of the brothers. I jogged behind Daryl until they reached their truck. I followed Daryl's motions and hoped in beside Merle who was driving and watched as Daryl slipped in beside me. It was only a moment later he was pulling out of their home made driveway and was taking off like a bat out of hell out of their trailer park. I instantly began calling out directions as I held the phone to my ear. Thankfully the park wasn't far from my mom's house so I knew it would only be a short drive. It seemed like time was dragging as I listened to my mom's cries and Steve's yells through the phone. I was so caught up in their fight I hadn't noticed that my free hand was clutching Daryl's arm until we pulled up to my old familiar home.

"Let's do this" Merle said with a grin, looking actually overjoyed at the thought of what was going to happen next when he climbed out of the truck. I was quick to follow behind Daryl as I slid out of the cab and into the driveway. I watched horrified as Merle reached into the back of their truck and pulled out two bats and tossed one towards Daryl who was quick to catch it. As much as I hoped it wasn't true I knew this wasn't the first time the two brother's had been in this type of situation before.

"You guys don't have to do this we can go home I can call the police," I said now pleading with Daryl. I didn't give a shit what happened to Steve the dick deserved what ever was coming to him but I couldn't deal with the thought of Daryl or Merle getting hurt because I pulled them into this mess. I had been hit more then a few times by Steve I knew when he was in this kind of mood he didn't care who was in front of him he would just attack.

I sighed feeling Daryl's arms wrap around me pulling me into a quick hug as he leaned in and whispered, "It will be okay I promise. Were just going to go get your mom and get out of there" Before I had the chance to say anything else there was a large crash from inside the house.

"That's my cue ladies and gentleman" Merle called out as he bounded up the steps and reached the front door, once again looking happy to be doing this.

"Stay here" Daryl said before taking off after Merle. I watched as Merle was quick to kick in the door and then the two brothers disappeared into the house. I was frozen in place as I starred at the open door. My mind was spinning, I felt sick. I could hear faint mumbles from inside and every once in awhile the sound of Merle's voice. I almost rushed inside when I heard a large crash but before I could convince myself to move I saw Daryl step in to the doorframe his arm wrapped around my mother.

"Mom" I called out as I ran the short distance from the driveway to the door.

"I'll be back I'm going to help Merle" Daryl said passing my mom off to me.

"Thank you" I mouthed to him, quickly noticing the slight hint of blood on his now beat up knuckles before he was gone and back into the house.

"Mom it's going to be okay. Were going to get you out of here" I said. As we walked down the steps I quickly looked over her now noticing how rough of shape she was in. Steve hadn't beaten her up this bad in years. She had two black eyes that were swelling up so bad I could hardly make out the blue colour of her eyes. She had blood dripping down her cheek from where he had split it open. Her lip was so swollen she couldn't even speak she just nodded along as we walked.

I helped her walk to her car in the driveway and propped her up against the side of it before I pulled at the door handles hoping one was unlocked. I almost squealed I was so happy to find the front passenger seat door unlocked. I hoped inside and unlocked the other doors before I help her slip into the car. Thankfully well I was living at home I had borrowed her car so many times I had my own key that I hadn't removed from the key chain just yet. I rushed to the other side of the car after I had got her inside and seat buckled her in before I shoved the keys into the ignition and started it.

"Mom I'm going to take you to the hospital. I will be right back" I called out as I rushed to shut the door behind me and took off towards the house. Thankfully before I had the chance to step inside Merle and Daryl were already on their way out.

"Are you both okay?" I asked concerned, as I quickly looked them over looking for any sign of a fight.

"Were all good, he tried to get a few shots in but it didn't work out for him" Merle smirked, his bat clearly worse off then when they had gone into the home a few minutes earlier.

"I'm going to take my mom to the hospital, I think he broke her nose." I said motioning to my mom slumped over in the car beside me.

"Good idea darling we will see you later" Merle called over before heading back to his truck.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Daryl asked.

"That is so sweet but I cant do that. I already don't know how to thank enough you for this. I will take her to the emergency room but I'll hopefully be back tonight. I'm sorry about dinner but maybe I can make it up to you this week" I said hoping he would take me up on my offer.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan" he said running his hand along the back of neck, a motion now I was thinking was his nervous habit.

"Thank you again Daryl I don't know what I would have done without you today" I said reaching up on my tippy toes and kissed him quickly before I took off towards the car.


	3. See You Tonight

**_(I updated this chapter as well. I haven't added to this one just made a few small changed. Like always don't hesitate to let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading)_**

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**SEE YOU AGAIN**

I was surprised when I pulled into the trailer park and was hit with a feeling of relief. After everything that had happened tonight I was happy to be back here. It wasn't long ago I hate this place but now only after a short while this place was my home. I sighed stepping outside into the now cold night air after I parked my mom's car beside my trailer. I had been stuck at the hospital with her for five hours before we were able to finally leave. Thankfully she had been released and I was able to drop her off at my aunt's house for a few days. I tried to quietly jog around the car to my front door hoping to escape the cold breeze. I had just grabbed the door handle when I saw the faint light of a cigarette coming from a picnic table hidden back behind the Dixon brothers trailer blocked my a large tree.

I hesitated for a moment before I shook my head and dashed towards the table. I was freezing but I couldn't ignore the thought that I would avoid the chance to thank Merle or Daryl again for helping me today. I crept around the tree hoping to be quiet enough if it wasn't one of them I could sneak back to my trailer. When I did spot him I was relieved to see it was Daryl sitting on top of the table his feet planted on the seat as he pulled the cigarette from his lips.

"When you want to sneak up on someone you got to do a better job then that. I heard you coming from a mile away," he said before slipping the smoke back between his lips.

"I was worried it wasn't going to be you, I wanted to make sure. Mind if I sit?"

Without a word he patted the empty spot next to him. I hopped up beside him and let my feet rest on the seat next to his as he passed me the cigarette. I was quick to slip it between my lips taking a drag before passing it back to him. I had taken up smoking when I was eleven. A group of cool girls at school had convinced me that it was a good idea. Since then I had tried giving it up more times then I could count. For the last two months I had cut it out of my life completely. Except for nights like this, which I tended to use as a perfectly reasonable excuse to give in.

"I just wanted to thank you again" I started to say before he interrupted me.

"Don't worry about it" was all he said before passing me the smoke again.

It was fairly obvious Daryl Dixon was not a man of words. He didn't seem to like to talk too much and especially about anything that could be considered a touchy subject. Now that I really thought about it any of the conversations I had with him I tended to talk more and he listened. When Merle was around it was very obvious he was the talker of the two.

"How's your mom?" he asked.

"She's as good as she could be. That asshole broke her nose. She also has a few broken ribs so she's going to be hurting for awhile but she's staying with my aunt who will look after her"

"That's, good. I'm sure he's got to have a few broken bones himself. Clown deserves it," he muttered.

"So what are you doing out here this late at night by yourself?" I asked trying to change the subject from today's earlier events as a small shiver ran down my spine as the breeze picked up.

"Merle's got a girl in there" he smirked

"Oh I see, that's got to be a shitty part about living together. Have you ever thought of getting your own place?" I asked as I watched him unzip and pull his sweater off and without a word wrapped it around my shoulders before pulling the smoke from between my fingers.

"Nah, it's not worth it. He just does this every once in awhile. Ever since he got kicked of the military he's had a tough time hanging on to a job. Merle has issues controlling his mouth sometimes. It's just easier for me to stay and help pay the bills"

"Well I hope you know the next time he does this your more then welcome to knock at my door as long as you don't mind putting up with me" I said clinging to his sweater, thankful for the warmth.

"I reckon that won't be a problem," he said taking another drag from the smoke before letting it rest in between his fingers. It was then I noticed his knuckles were still swollen and cut up from his earlier fight.

"Jesus Daryl, you haven't done anything about this," I said grabbing his hand in mine as I studied his knuckles.

"Nah, it's nothing it will heal," he said pulling it away from me.

"Come with me" I called out over my shoulder as I hopped off the table and started towards my trailer.

I quickly unlocked the door and left it open, hoping I would see him walk through the door behind me. Thankfully it was only a moment later when I heard the door close behind him as he stepped inside minus the cigarette. I stepped into my tiny bathroom and pulled out a few things before I headed back to the kitchen where he was waiting, leaning against the stove. I took a washcloth and ran it under the warm water before I stood in front of him.

"Hand" I said holding mine out as he gave his hand.

"I'm really fine you don't need to do this" he started to say as I ran the washcloth along his knuckles cleaning off the dried blood, it was then I saw just how swollen his knuckles were.

"How did this even happen I thought you brought a bat with you" I said cringing at the thought of the two brothers going at Steve with bats. I continued cleaning his cuts and bruises before moving on to the next hand.

"I don't use the bat unless I need it. A real man should be able to fight with their hands"

"You shouldn't have to fight at all Daryl I'm so sorry for causing this" I said turning to my fridge so I could grab a try of ice from the freezer.

"Savannah, sometimes you do need to fight. That guy was not going to stop and someone needed to do something about it. The cops are good for nothing, all they do is pull the person out of the house for a night and the minute they sober up they let them back out just so they can continue doing it over and over"

"Your not wrong, it seems like that's all they did every time I called before but I don't know maybe it would have been better to call them so you and Merle did not have to deal with this" I said crushing a few ice cubes into the wash cloth before wrapping it up and held it on his knuckles.

"You did the right thing. A guy like that needs to be taught a lesson. When we went in that house he had your mom pinned in a corner, he wasn't going to stop. Trust me now that he's taken his own ass beating he will stop"

"You don't know that Daryl this could have made it worse for her. I know she is stupid enough to go back to him and he will just do it again and maybe this just made him more pissed off and will give him a bigger reason to beat the shit out of her" I said starting to panic as I gripped his hand tighter.

"Trust me Savannah he will stop. My dad used to beat my ass; he would do it everyday for no reason. The cops were called over and over. It didn't stop until Merle came back from the military. Then he was grown enough to show my dad a thing or two. The two of them ended up going at it and Merle fought that old drunk piece of garbage and took me with him. If it wasn't for that god knows what would have happened to me," he said like the heartbreaking story he had just told me was no big deal.

I was shocked by Daryl's story. I had known when I met the two brothers there must have been a reason the two of them were so close and both seemed to have a serious and hard out look on life I just had no idea that the cause of that had been an abusive father. He never mentioned a mother and I wasn't about to ask just yet. Before we could both say another word we could hear Merle's voice calling out for Daryl.

"Shit, Merle's looking for me I got to run," he said looking down at his hands. I pulled the ice pack from his knuckles and tossed it in the sink before using a clean rag to dry his hands.

"Thanks" he muttered as he grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. He had stepped outside of the trailer and headed towards his own.

"Daryl, are you sure you need to go?" I called out as leaned in my open doorway not wanting to see the younger Dixon brother leave just yet.

I had not intended to fall for anyone when I had stepped into this trailer a week before but I couldn't help but admit that I was beginning to love having Daryl around and started to miss him when he would leave. It had been a very long time since I had met someone like him. It usually took me months to warm up to someone but with Daryl I felt relaxed and comfortable around him, like I could be myself with no judgment. It didn't hurt that he wasn't bad on the eyes.

"DARYL WHERE ARE YOU BOY" Merle yelled out interrupting our conversation from the doorway of their trailer.

Daryl looked frustrated as he starred back across at his trailer and then back to me.

"MERLE GIVE ME A GOD DAMN MINUTE" he yelled back before he walked towards me.

Without a word he stood in front of me for a moment, placing both hands on each side of the door way as I continued to lean in the entry. We were face to face now not saying a word; Merle's drunken hums from across the way was the only noise that could be heard.

I could feel some sort of tension growing between us as I starred back at him. Just as I opened my mouth prepared to say something he crushed his lips against mine. It took me a second to realize what was happening before I kissed him back. He was quick to grip my waist as he pulled me closer. My arms found their way around his neck as we deepened the kiss. Before I had a chance to say anything else he pulled away.

"I'm going hunting tomorrow morning with Merle and my uncle Jess. I will be gone most of the day but I will be back tomorrow night" he said quietly his hands still holding my hips.

"Okay" I almost whispered before he leaned in kissed my forehead softly and then pulled away. Without another word he was walking across to their shared trailer. I waited there for a moment listening to the sounds of the trailer park only stepping back inside when I heard the sound of their door closing behind him.


	4. When She Says Baby

(I am still in the process of editing this one but I did in the mean time wanted to add to it. I've added some more interaction with Savannah and Daryl and will continue to add a bit more tomorrow. Let me know what you think of the chapter so far. Thanks for the read)

_I OWN NOTHING BUT THE ORIGINAL CHARACTER_

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**WHEN SHE SAYS BABY**

The next day as I cleared tables my thoughts kept rushing back to Daryl. I felt happy as his voice rang through my mind, the thought of that kiss-helped make my day go a little smoother. I began counting down the hours until I could get back to my trailer just in case he got home earlier then he had expected. When my shift finally did end and I was back home in my trailer I glanced across to his, seeing no sign of him or Merle I rushed to get dressed.

Just like any girl I tried to dress to impress him. It was a bit obvious he was the type of guy who didn't seem to care what I was wearing but regardless I wanted to look good. It had only been a short time that we had known each other and so far most of our interactions involved me wearing a less then flattering waitress uniform or on hot days it was shorts and a tank top. I hadn't had a chance to dress up for him so tonight I would take advantage. I jumped in the shower hoping to wash off as much smell of the diner as I possibly could before I dried my haired and slathered body lotion across my legs and arms.

I swore I had emptied my entire closet before I settled on a black leather skirt and a pink cami. I added a few pieces of jewelry and dabbed on a bit of make up before I curled my hair. I tried not to over due it knowing that even though Daryl didn't seem to be a guy who put too much thought into my appearance he probably wouldn't be spotted with a girl who looked like she did herself up to the nines.

After I cleaned up my mess I poured myself a glass of red wine and laid out on my couch as I flicked through the channels on tv. I had settled on something that looked semi interesting on the home and garden channel when I heard a knock at my door. I quickly shut off the tv and looked myself over in the reflection of the now black tv before I called out "Come in"

"Well hello darling" I heard Merle's familiar draw as the older Dixon stepped inside.

"Oh hey Merle, how's it going?" I asked trying hard to not show the disappointment in my voice.

"Wow don't you look pretty who are you dressing up for?" he asked, ignoring my question.

"Thanks Merle" I said now ignoring his question. There was no way that I was going to let Merle know I had put in this extra effort for his brother.

"Were you hoping I was coming over tonight?" he asked as a creepy grin crossed his face.

Thankfully before I had the chance respond I heard Daryl's voice. "Merle what are you doing here?" he asked as he stepped inside my now cramped trailer.

"I was just going to come and see if young Savannah here wanted to come over for dinner" he said to Daryl but his eyes were still locked on me.

"Merle don't you think it's a bit late for that?"

"Not at all. It's pretty obvious this little lady got dressed up tonight. It would be a pity if she spent the night in here by herself, that sexy looked wasted for no good reason" he said shooting me a wink that made my skin crawl.

"Merle, she's not spending the night by herself. I'm taking her out"

"Wait a minute your taking her out" Merle questioned as he spun around so his eyes locked on Daryl.

"Yeah, now can you leave so we can go?"

Merle threw his hands up in the air like he was giving up. "You know if you wanted a Dixon you could have aimed a bit higher," Merle said to me before giving Daryl a nudge in the ribs as he pushed past him and disappeared out the door.

Daryl quickly shut and locked the door behind him before he turned back to me. It was silent for a moment before he ran his hand along the back of his neck.

"I'm really sorry about him. I guess he drank a little more then I thought. He gets that way when he drinks"

"It's okay you don't need to apologize for him"

"Listen, I was going to borrow his truck so we could go out but I'm not sure that would be such a great idea now"

"I still have my moms car," I said as I rushed to my purse and pulled out a set of keys and tossed them to him.

"Alright, let's get out of here"

It was an hour later when he pulled into a parking lot. I was more then a bit confused as I looked around the unfamiliar area. A big part of me felt nervous like maybe the little Dixon was more like his brother then I had known. Thankfully my fears were eased when he pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them back to me with a side smile on his face.

"I know this is a weird spot to bring a girl on a first real date but I swear your going to like it"

"Alright, I trust you"

As we slipped out of the car he grabbed my hand and lead me towards a small path. When we reached an area that was growing darker he pulled two small flashlights from his pocket and handed one to me before clicking on his own. We walked for another few moments in a comfortable silence until we reached a small rocky area.

"Shit, I forgot it gets kind of rough here" he said dropped my hand as he looked around for a moment before he handed me his flashlight.

"Get on my back" he said kneeling down, like the request was normal.

I laughed out loud. I hadn't had a piggy back ride since I was a little kid.

"You cant be serious Daryl, it can not be that bad"

"I am come on time's a wasting"

"Daryl, I am not getting on your back"

"If you don't get on my back now I'm just going to pick you up. It's your choice. I've been here a million times before I know the way it will be faster if I just take you. If you walk it in the dark your going to end up twisting an ankle and I'm going to have to carry you anyways"

"All right, if you insist" I said as I climbed on his back. I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I felt him stand. My arms gripped around his neck as his arms hooked over my legs pulling me against him.

For the next few minutes he effortlessly made his way up the small rocky hill, still holding me tight against him. I was slightly disappointed when he reached the top of the hill and knelt so I could climb down off his back.

"Thanks for the ride" I winked before he slipped his hand back into mine.

"Anytime gorgeous" he winked before he gently yanked my arm, which pulled me to him. Without another word he used his free hand to pull me right against his chest as he leaned down and kissed me. This time he kissed me softly before he slowly pulled away.

For the next few weeks Daryl and I grew closer. I would come out of the diner after a late night shift to see him sitting on the bumper of my car with a cigarette between his lips. I learned to accept the older Dixon brother and would have the two over to my place most nights for dinner.

I loved having the two around, they seemed to be able to fix anything that broke in my now loved trailer and Daryl spent more time then I would like to admit fixing my moms beat up car that I was still using. My life was slowly falling into place and the two of them were a big part of that.

It had taken more then a few dates with Daryl before he finally made any sort of move on me other then the minor kiss here and there. Since were both hard up on cash are dates weren't anything spectacular they mostly consisted of movie nights in my trailer, hikes, rides on Merles motorcycle when he was allowed to borrow it, and one awful attempt at Daryl trying to teach me to hunt. I never minded what we were doing I just loved being with him. He made me laugh until my stomach hurt, he made me feel safe when creeps hung around the dinner, and he still seemed to give me butterfly's when he wrapped his arms around me pulling me to him.

We had finally got to the stage in our relationship where we had fallen into a routine together. It was because of that routine that I first thought something was wrong when I came out of the diner after a twelve hour shift and he was no where to be seen. I slipped into my moms car, thankfully she hadn't asked for it back since she had decided to stay with my aunt for awhile longer. I quickly started the engine and pulled from the now empty parking lot. I quickly spun the radio dialling stop only when I heard a classic eighties Madonna song. I probably put a little more pressure then needed on the gas peddle as I raced towards the trailer park, now worried about my still new boyfriend.

I was revealed for some reason to see Merle Dixon sitting outside of their trailer on the same picnic table Daryl and I had been on weeks before. I was quick to stop the car and pull the keys from the ignition before I headed in his direction.

"Well hello there darling how was work?" he asked giving me a creepy once over look.

"Not bad is your brother around?"

"Daryl, yeah I think he's inside" he motioned towards his and Daryl's shared trailer.

I sighed under my breath. The trailers are not the biggest, Merle should be able to know if his younger brother was in there or not but he was mostly like strung out on some drug. I pushed open the door, hating the site I saw every time I step foot in there. The place was run down and the small kitchen filled with half eaten boxes of cereal and a sink full of dishes. Even though the two brothers could fix almost anything I asked from them they couldn't seem to keep their own place together everything looked like it was ready to break if there was a heavy wind storm. I had no clue how Merle convinced girls to come back here with him.

I stepped inside and shut the door behind myself. I saw Daryl's figure laying on the couch that Merle referred to as Daryl's room. I slowly made my way to him, now noticing he was asleep. It wasn't until I sat down beside him I saw the damage to his feet.

"Oh baby what happened" I gasped running my hand softly along his purple cheek.

"Shit, Savannah what time is?" he asked, panic in his voice as he sat up.

"It's okay, calm down. It's just after 1am"

"Shit, I am so sorry I wasn't there for when you got off work"

"Don't be it's okay, you clearly needed some rest. Now can you tell me what happened?" I asked now noticing his once again swollen knuckles caked with blood, I couldn't tell if it was his or someone else.

"Oh it's nothing no big deal. I'm good how was work?"

"Daryl it is something look at you. Your cheek is purple, it looks like you had a nose bleed and your knuckles are swollen. What happened?" I asked again now growing frustrated that he couldn't seem to give ma solid answer.

"Savannah please, I don't really want to talk about it"

"We have to Daryl, you cant expect me to come home and see you like this and not question" I blurted out still frustrated he was hiding something from me.

"Let's just drop it" he said his voice growing angry now. He quickly stood from the couch we were both sharing and started walking away from me.

"Oh god" I gasped throwing my hands over my mouth. "Was it Merle?" I asked.

"No, god Savannah he has never touched me. Why does it matter what happened?" he almost yelled at me.

Before I could talk myself out of it or even think about what I was doing I blurted out the one thing we had not seen to each other since we started dating. Because I love you, you idiot". Once again I threw my hands over my mouth shocked at what had just come out of my mouth.

Clearly it took Daryl a moment to take in what I had just said because he already started off in the direction of their kitchen before he turned back to face me.

"You love me?" he seemed to question as he walked back towards me.

Now I was mad. I had just confessed my love for this man who some how in the past fews had become my hero more times then I could count. He was the one person I thought about all day and the one person I was happy to see when I got home. He was sweet and funny and I couldn't imagine life without him and now he acted like he didn't believe what I had just said. I quickly stood ready to argue with him.

"Of course I do Daryl, I love you with all my heart and I care about you. I don't ever want to see you hurt and it bothers me to see that someone did hurt you" I sighed.

I was surprised when he didn't say anything he just stepped closer to me. Before I could do or say anything I watched a grin creep across his face before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest before kissing me deeply. When he pulled away he leaned up and kissed my forehead "I love you to" he almost whispered.

I couldn't help but admit to myself that I was silently happy and relieved to hear him say those words to me. Our relationship seemed to be evolving quickly and I was happy to know that it wasn't one sided.

"Now can you please tell me what happened?"

"It was nothing, Merle was giving his dealer a hard time and he ended up getting more upset then normal. They started fighting so I had to help Merle. The guy ended up pulling a gun on me and then Merle had to convince him to drop. It was stupid and shouldn't have happened" he mumbled.

My stomach dropped at the thought of someone holding up a gun to the man who I had just confessed my love to. "Aww Daryl I am so sorry that happened" I said my hands gripping his t shirt that had more then a few specks of blood covering it.

"Come back to my place I can help you get cleaned up" I mumbled as I took his hand and lead him towards the door.

I wasn't surprised to see Merle was now joined at the table by a girl who looked a little older then Daryl she was holding a baggy in her hand she quickly shoved in her pocket when we met eyes.

"See ya love birds" Merle mocked as he we walked by them and into my trailer.

Daryl was quick to head into my bedroom and lay down. I grabbed a bottle of advil, a wash cloth, the same ice pack I had used on his knuckles a few weeks back and a bottle of water from the kitchen before heading back to join him. I sat down next to him and started cleaning the blood off his knuckles well I tossed him the ice pack for his face.

"You know I never pictured you getting into all these situations when we first got together" I smirked cleaning one hand and moving on to the next.

He shook his head and sighed "I don't know how you put up with all this bullshit" he groaned before popping two advils and taking a long drink of water.

"It's not so bad, it just seems that this stuff happens when Merle is involved" I stated trying to slowly bring up the topic of his older brother without making him grow defensive.

"It's not always Merle you remember the first time you did this I was helping you not him" he said with a wink.

"Okay that is very true but you know maybe if you moved in here things would kinda cool down a bit" I softly mentioned avoiding his gaze as I continued my work.

"Seriously you want me to move in" he questioned.

"Yeah I would love that and you know I think it would be good for us to live together before the baby comes" I said once again avoiding his glance.

After a moment of silence I finally gained the courage to look up at him.

I swear his jaw had hit the ground. "Your pregnant?" he questioned.

"I took the test a few days ago I went to the doctor today before work. I am three weeks along" I said hoping he wasn't going to bolt from the trailer.


	5. Do I

"Daryl say something please" I begged starring at his emotionless face. I had just told him he was about to be a father and the man showed me nothing.

He shook his head for a moment his eyes focused on mine. "How the hell are we going to do this?" he asked sitting up.

I reached for his arm but he pulled away. I could see the muscle tense in his arm as his eyes darted towards the day. I felt my stomach drop. I hadn't planned to get pregnant, hell I almost fainted when I saw that little pink line. I had nearly convinced myself it was a bad dream until the doctor informed me of my due date. I had prayed the whole way home that my boyfriend would be thrilled by the news. Daryl was now giving me the exact reaction I would expect from someone like Merle.

He stood from the bed leaving me sitting alone my eyes now glued to the floor, dreading what was going to happen next.

"I don't even have a real job. I cant leave Merle on his own. This is not how this was supposed to happen" he said his back now against the wall, his hands covering his face.

"Calm down Daryl, it's fine if you don't want to be in our lives then just say so. I can handle a baby by myself" I said loudly. I couldn't believe I had just confessed my love for this man who was now basically freaking out over the idea of a child with me.

"Is that what you think I am saying?" he asked spinning back to face me.

"Of course, that's what it sounds like your saying"

He quickly rushed back to where I was sitting on the bed and dropped to his knees in front of me. He slipped his hand under my chin and tilted up so I was forced to look into his eyes.

"Savannah, all I'm saying is I wanted more for us, for you. We've only been dating for a few weeks and it's been amazing but I would have liked for us to been able to keep doing this for awhile. I would have liked to plan some big proposal eventually and have that wedding you've always wanted the one you told me about the night we slept in the back of Merle's truck. I would have liked to get a real job so we can afford this, I know money's tight already and a baby is going to add to that stress. What I'm trying to say I want to give you everything in life you deserve and I guess I was hoping a baby would eventually be part of that plan not when we've just started our lives together. That all said that doesn't mean I don't want this baby, it does not mean I am going to leave you to raise our child alone because I am going to be there for my kid no matter what. I'm not going anywhere Savannah and I'm sorry if I made you think I would" he said before kissing me softly on the lips.

I let out a deep sigh of relief as he pulled away from the kiss. He had been so quick to ease my fears, to promise me he wasn't about to abandon me and he really did feel the same way about this whole thing I did. I quickly reached from him, wrapped my around his neck as he pulled him to me and kissed him deeply. I moaned into the kiss as he deepened it, his hands now slipped up the back of my shirt making short work of my bra as he moved down continuing kissing down my neck and nibbling lightly on my collar bone.

He sent a chill down my spine as he grabbed the bottom of my white tshirt and was quick to slip it over my head before tossing it aside. His lips crushed against mine as he moved me back gently, his body now over mine. We worked in unison he slipped my skirt down my legs as I worked on the buttons on his plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off revealing his tight muscles as they worked. When he was left only in his boxers and I was in my panties and bra he slipped between my legs. He slowly kissed up my bare stomach as he moved up. When he was once again kissing my neck I slipped my thumbs under the elastic of his boxers working them down his thighs until he was able to kick them off. I moaned out loud as he rushed to rid me of my few clothes and in a swift moment we were free of the clothes that were now scattered across my trailer floor.

Without a word he crushed his lips against mine well he moved, adjusting my legs so I was able to wrap them around his waist. I groaned out loud as I felt him push into me. "Daryl" I moaned my arms now gripping his back as he began thrusting. He worked slowly his every movement sending shivers down my back. "Oh god, Daryl" I screamed knowing I would not be able to control myself much longer. He was quick to slow his movements, causing my heavy breathing to slow. I gripped his back my nails now digging into his skin as he movements changed once again "Yes, yes, yes" I moaned my arm now wrapped around his neck. I watched as a small line of sweat formed on his brow as his movements continued to increase. I knew he was on the edge. I moved my hands down his body, across his flat stomach and down to his thighs urging him to move deeper. "Daryl, I am so close" I moaned, crushing my lips against his as I heard a deep groan. I felt myself pushed over the edge, waves of pleasure rushing through my body, my toes curling as I let out a loud squeal. I heard Daryl groan into my neck as he crashed down against me before rolling over.

We laid there for a few moments in silence, the room filled only with the sounds of our heavy panting. After a moment I reached for the pay as you go phone I kept beside my bed. Realizing how late it was I stepped out of the bed, reaching for something to wear to bed I grabbed Daryl's cut off plaid shirt and slipped it over my naked body before rushing back to the bed and tossing the blanket over myself well I saw him pull on the jeans I had worked so hard on getting off of him earlier in the night.

I was happy to feel his weight on the bed as he climbed in beside me, his arm draped over my side pulling me against his chest. Daryl didn't alway stay the night with me so I was happy tonight he had decided on me instead of going to do whatever Merle wanted him to do.

The next morning when I opened my eyes I was disappointed to not see Daryl beside me. I quickly pushed myself off the bed and rushed to take a shower. I had purposely waited to tell Daryl about the baby the night before my day off, hoping that we would be able to spend some time together that day planning our soon to be future. I stood in the hot shower for a little longer then usual letting the steam fill the bathroom as I day dreamed about the day we would bring our baby home. I could imagine Daryl holding the little bundle in his arms showing the baby off to Merle as I got the first bath ready. I shook my head forcing myself to return to the present moment and step out of the shower. I brushed out my wet hair and pulled it back into a messy bun before throwing on a pair of cut of jeans and a tank top. I wasnt going to spend my only day off this week dressing up.

I dug through my closet until I found my old beat up flip flops and slipped them on before rushing out the front door of my trailer. It didnt take me long to find the older Dixon brother sitting in the door way of their shared trailer with his feet planted on the gravel.

"Well there she is" he called out in his deep voice.

"Hey there Merle, is Daryl around?" I asked hoping to avoid a conversation with my baby's uncle.

"I sent him to the store to pick up some smokes"

"Can you have him come over to my place when he gets back?" I asked turning quickly hoping I would be able to escape back to my home before he would say anything else.

In normal Merle fashion he yelled something to catch me off guard and cut the silence between us. "I think it's really shitty what you did to Daryl"

"Excuse me" I called out as I turned on my heels and stomped back towards him.

"You heard me. Daryl had a good thing going here and you had to ruin it by getting knocked up"

I groaned out loud, rolling my eyes. "It take's two to make a baby Merle"

"That's what Daryl said to but I know that boy he's not stupid enough to get stuck with a kid. What did you do get him drunk? You know if you really wanted to bare a Dixon child you coulda come to me" he mumbled the words before winking at me.

I hated Merle Dixon. He could make my blood boil with only a few words. I hated that he seemed to control Daryl and most of the time used him as an errand boy instead of a brother. He used his temper to try to intimidate people but with Daryl around I never felt scared to stand up to him. Most days he was easy to ignore with his rude comments here and there but today this was different he was not insulting my unborn child and made it sound like I had tricked his brother into impregnating me.

"Fuck you Merle" I screamed as I got in his face.

Before Merle had the chance to respond I heard the sound of his motorcycle pull up behind us.

"Control your woman Daryl she is getting out of hand" Merle yelled over my head at his brother.

I wanted to turn around and beg Daryl to come defend me and our child to Merle but I forced my eyes to stay locked on his. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of turning away from him.

"Come on Merle back off leave her be, Savannah come on" he said holding out his hand to me.

I groaned as I gripped his hand and he began dragging me off, far from Merle. I wanted to fight, I wanted him to get angry and mad at his brother.

"Daryl we need to go back he was saying awful things to me" I said now pleading with him.

"Don't worry we will I just need to show you something first. I have a surprise for you" he said ignoring me as he lead me towards Merle's truck. He pulled down the back door of the truck and pulled out a small wooden baby bassinet and placed it in the sun kicking it softly with his foot, showing me how it rocked back and fourth.

"It was mine when I was a kid. I just made me one small adjustment" he said kneeling down to turn it so I could see he had inscribed Lil' Ass Kicker in deep red letters.


End file.
